Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Toyota to enter Yaris in WRC?

Will Toyota re-enter the WRC using the new Yaris? Photo by Curtis Reesor.

According to Car and Driver, Toyota is thinking about re-entering the World Rally Championship (WRC) with, of all cars, the Toyota Yaris

According to the article, a Toyota rep told the WRC it is considering an S2000 class entry with a 1.6-liter turbo engine. And as the article points out, cars can be fitted with all-wheel drive and sequential gear boxes. It also points out this is far from a done deal.

FYI, there are a slew of uninformed Luddites on Car and Driver's Facebook page. There are a lot of people making fun of the idea of a turbocharged Yaris, let a lont a Yaris race car. But as one voice of reason pointed out, "If you don't think the Yaris is a good fit for the WRC you don't know that much about the WRC. Because small hatchbacks haven't been dominant for the last 10 years right?" Exactly. Hey, it's Facebook; what else would you expect?

Frankly, I'd love to see Toyota back in the WRC (along several other manufacturers—Suzuki, are you listening?), especially with the Yaris.

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